Final Course Reflection

      IT365 has been a very enjoyable class. I loved that we did not have to constantly write notes and take quizzes and tests. I have learned a variety of things and will use this new knowledge as I continue school and move on to my career. One of the most important things I have learned is to always back up your work on a jump drive. You never know when you computer will crash or freeze up. It is best to be prepared and have a saved copy of your work. 

      In my opinion, my stronger points were creating the website and movie maker. I am a creative and organized person and those tasks brought out my good side. I enjoyed them so much and had so much fun creating them. I made sure that I paid close attention to the different aspects of these programs because I knew I would use them again someday.

      I would have to say my weak points dealing with technology is that I am a very impatient person. What I mean by this is that I get frustrated easily when things do not work or take a long time. When I don't know how to correct the problem it makes it that much worse! Technology has a way of putting me in a really bad mood. This is because I know so little about it. I am thankful that this was a required course so that I could strengthen my horrible skills and become more patient in the future. I will definitely work on my patience as well. I can benefit from technology as an individual as well as a professional. The only way I can improve on my weak areas are to get help and practice them routinely. This way I will be familiar with the programs I am required to use and will not get so frustrated when things do not go as smooth as I had hoped. I plan to integrate technology in my classroom with the use of the webpage for sure so that parents and students can retrieve information about whats going on in the classroom, upcoming assignments, etc. Another project that I plan to share with my class is the concept mapping assignment. It is a fun and creative way to organize notes, thoughts, and ideas. It is also a wonderful study technique. I’m excited about my journey to becoming an teacher, and I hope one day I will be a roll model to a bunch students!

Standard #5

Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership - Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources. 

Teachers:
a.) participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning
b.) exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of technology infusion, participating in shared decision making and community building, and developing the leadership and technology skills of others
c.) evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning
d.) contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community

Reflection:
The last standard deals with teachers growth and leadership. It is important, as future teachers, to constantly improve our professional practice. Just graduating from college with a degree and passing the praxis is simply not enough. I really do not believe you become an actual teacher until you are in your own classroom teaching by yourself.

A teacher’s growth is very important. With growth comes experience and that is what makes the best teacher. A teacher needs years of experience to see what works for students and what doesn't. A teacher also needs years of experience to see what works for the teacher and what doesn't. It is important as a means of authority to exhibit leadership. Most students look up to their teachers and need to see them as a leader. Teacher also need to exhibit the diverse needs of learners by differentiation. Like I said earlier, no two students learn alike. All students learn in their own unique way and it is important that the teacher sees this and allows time in planning to foster each child’s need. Teachers need to stay in touch with current and upcoming technology. They need to do so on a regular basis so they can use the technology effectively. They also need to keep their students informed. I feel like I have mastered a part of this standard by using the assistive technology artifact. I have explored the web and certain links to keep up with the technology for certain disabilities. Teachers need to do so periodically so they can keep up with the disabilities of students they might have and stay up to date on the latest research and technology.

Artifacts:
Website
Concept Map
Assistive Technology
Turnitin.com

Future Goals:
My future goal as a teacher is to stay in touch with the outside world. I want to be the best teacher I can be for my students by engaging them in the content and making them want to learn. I can do this by means of technology. I can also extend beyond the classroom and be an active member of the community. I love staying busy and being involved, so I do not think this will be a hard goal to reach.

Standard #4

Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility - Teachers  \understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices. 

Teachers:

a. Advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.

b. address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources.

c. promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information.

d. develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital-age communication and collaboration tools.

Artifacts:

· Turnitin

· Assistive technology

Reflection:

As a future teacher, it is important for me to try to always set an example for my students. By using technology, I can enrich lessons to fit levels of understanding for students who are above the normal teaching instruction. I can also use technology to modify lessons so students who don’t understand completely can go online and take quizzes that will help them to work out misconceptions and learn by doing on their own.

Future learning goals:

In my classroom, I will teach proper ways to use technology as well as teach ethical and cultural ways of using technology. It is important to model for students what is morally right in society and in the classroom. We are taught everyday to do our own work and be honest. The turnitin assignment will teach students exactly what it looks like to cheat and then how to cite information, and use your own words to make it your own.

Standard #3

Model Digital-Age Work and Learning - Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. 

Teachers:
a.) demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations
b.) collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation
c.) communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats
d.) model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning

Reflection:
This standard deals with the knowledge and skills of a professional teacher. It is important for teachers to be up to date on the knowledge and skills necessary to be a teacher. I feel that I have mastered this standard with several artifacts such as: Website, concept map, turnitin, and my photostory. The website and blog i created allows for communication of information to students, parents, and peers using digital-age media and formats. These also allow for collaboration with students, peers, parents and community members to support success and innovation. By using my photostory and concept map I am demonstrating fluency in technology systems because I had to narrate my photostory and had to be able to write correctly to visually show fluency. Now that I know how to create a concept map I can create a model for my class during my lecture so the students can actually see how to do it rather than just reading the directions. By doing this I would be modeling and facilitating effective use of current and emerging digital tools. It is important that the teacher teaches the students new information and then models how to use it. It is also important for teachers to demonstrate fluency whenever possible in their lessons.

Artifacts:
My PhotoStory
Turnitin
Concept Map
Web Site
Blog

Future Goals:

I will need to keep up with technology in order to keep my students up to date as possible with this fast world to better their knowledge. It is very important to keep a professional appearance during your teaching career.

Standard #2

Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments - Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessments incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S. Teachers:

a.)design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to   

    promote student learning and creativity
b.) develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their 

     individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals,  

     managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress
c. )customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, 

     working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources
d.) provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with 

     content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching

Reflection:
This standard discusses different learning styles. I have learned this semester that all students are different and no two students learn the same way. It is important for teachers to get to know their students so they can adapt their lessons to help each child. By doing this, teachers are allowing students to learn the best of their ability and pursue their individual interests. It is important to communicate and collaborate effectively with students and other teachers. I know as a future teacher it is my role to customize certain projects and/or activities for students who need them.
Assessments are important aspects of teaching. It is vital that a teacher asses his/her students so they can see if the way they taught was effective or not. It also allows the teacher to see what the student has actually learned. If standards have not been met by evidence of assessment, the teacher can go back and re-teach the topic.
The standard has been met by concept mapping, web tools, blog, and my movie story. By using the web tools I could differentiate my instruction in many ways. I have mastered these artifacts and feel that making rubrics, online quizzes, and worksheet are great means of assessing students. The blog, movie story, and concept map allow the teacher to see the students diverse learning styles, working strategies and ability to use digital tools.


Artifacts:
Concept Map
Web Tools (Rubric, Online Quiz, Worksheet, Puzzle)
Blog
My Movie Story

Future Learning Goals:
In the future I plan to use these resources in creating assessments. I know that assessments are important factors in teaching. I now have learned many ways to asses my students in my It365 class. I will be able to differentiate my assessments based on my students needs and different learning styles. I have gained much knowledge in using digital tools and look forward to using them one day. 

Standard #1

Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity - Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. 

Teachers:

a.) promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness.
b.) engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources.
c.) promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes.
d.) model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments.


Reflection:
Standard one consists of creativity and innovation. The artifacts that have helped me meet this standard were the the blog, concept map, and the assistive technology. This standard is met because the students are creating a concept map using reflection and knowledge to create collaborative tools to reveal their conceptual understanding. Concept mapping is a great way to allow students to organize their knowledge. The assistive technology helped me meet this standard because of the case study with the links. It gives students the opportunity to explore real-world issues and guiding them through the use of internet. It facilitates use of current digital tools, such as the internet to research and learn about the questions listed in the case study. The blog helped me meet this standard because it allows students to reflect with the teacher. These artifacts have helped demonstrate my achievement because I am now very familiar with them. I now know how to use these artifacts and can incorporate them in my classroom one day. I feel the use of technology will allow my students to become more involved and interested in the lessons.

Artifacts:
-Blog
-Concept Map
-Assistive Technology

Future Learning Goals:
Realizing that technology is an ever growing and changing field, it will be a challenge to keep up and change with it. I aspire to meet this goal in my classroom daily. This standard will give me the chance to allow my future students to be creative while using technology. I will try to keep my students as up to date as possible with the fast pace growth of technology.  

Introduction to Blogfolio

      This Blogfolio is a reflection of everything I have learned this past four months in IT 365. Over the semester, we were asked to complete a variety of assignments. I learned how to use a program called Inspiration and create a concept mapping project. I even learned how to use web tools to create rubrics, online quizzes, worksheets, and puzzles.  One of the most challenging assignments I had to complete was to create a web site.

      In my IT 365 class I also learned about assistive technology which I know will be beneficial for me when I start teaching. I also gained a broad understanding of how to use turnitin.com to discover if students plagiarized a paper or not.  The most time consuming project I had to do was a my movie story.

      This Blogfolio is going to be used to show my improvement from start of the class until the end. It is also going to be used to document my work that I did for this entire semester. I also hope that my classmates will be kind enough to make comments on it and to tell me if they like my work. This Blogfolio helped me recollect my ideas and knowledge that I learned from taking IT 365.

Artifacts

Turn It in - Good Copy

Puzzle

Online Quiz

login: brent2445 --- password: brenttanner

login: lucy2124 --- password: lucymatthews

Rubric

Assistive Technology

Turn it in- Plagiarized

Assistive Technology2

Concept Map

Worksheet

Website

Photo Story